1. Field of the Invention
An object of the present invention is a ventilation device ventilating an electronic module or module. The ventilation device is designed to cool components of the module and expel solid particles contained in this module. To do this, the ventilation device has an airflow inverter. The airflow inversion is done cyclically. The present invention can be applied in various fields. It can be implemented in systems, sets, apparatuses, machines, equipment and installations.
2. Description of Related Art
At present, there are various systems provided with ventilation devices. The ventilation device introduces a flow of fluid into the system in order to cool electrical or electronic components of said system. This cooling prevents malfunctions caused by to excessive temperature in these components.
This type of ventilation device can be placed advantageously but not exclusively in a central processing unit of a computer or in an electronic module.
The ventilation device has a motor powered with electrical energy. This motor converts the electrical energy into mechanical energy. The ventilation device has a fan formed by a shaft with blades fixed to a hub of the shaft. The motor actuates the rotation of the fan in providing it with mechanical energy. This rotation of the fan causes the blades to be put into motion, forcing the passage of air from outside the central processing unit or electronic module into the central processing unit or electronic module in order to cool the electronic and electrical components.
However, these ventilation devices have drawbacks. Indeed, the air sucked in or drawn in by the blades contains solid particles such as dust. Over time, the solid particles collect on the electrical and electronic components, on the blades of the ventilation device and in every nook and corner of the central processing unit or electronic module. This causes a loss of efficiency of the ventilation device which no longer cools the components of the central processing unit or electronic module efficiently. The components of the central processing unit or of the electronic module are the then constantly subjected to excess of temperature.
This constant excess of temperature with the accumulation of solid particles on said components causes the destruction of these components prompting the malfunctioning of the central processing unit or electronic module.
The excessive temperature of the components is also due to the layer of solid particles which acts as a heat insulator and prevents the components from cooling down. This layer of solid particles may also be deposited on an electrical conductor and prompt short-circuits. The accumulation of solid particles causes disturbance in the working of the central processing unit or the electronic module which therefore becomes highly sensitive to dust, heat, cold and problems of electrical power supply. The central processing unit or the electronic module this proves to be more fragile and less reliable. Consequently, malfunctions may occur in an untimely way, giving rise to chaotic functioning.
Furthermore, malfunctions in the ventilation device may occur because of the accumulation of solid particles on the fan, the blades and the motor. Indeed, the solid particles interfere with the contacts of the motor and get mixed with the grease injected by the rotation, hampering the efficient operation of the rotation of the fan. With current ventilation devices, these faults are not detected.
When the ventilation device no longer carries out the component-cooling function, there is a great risk that the components of the central processing unit or the electronic module might get overheated or might even melt down. It is therefore important to control, firstly, the cleanliness of the ventilation device because an excess of solid particles reduces the airflow and, secondly, the efficient operation of the blades of the fan.
To reduce this accumulation of solid particles, there are protective screens or air filters generally placed in front of the blades. A protective screen is designed to cleanse the air sucked in by the blades to prevent solid particles from collecting on the components or on the ventilation device.
However, this protective screen does not eliminate the accumulation of solid particles but simply slows down the time of accumulation of these solid particles. Thus, after each period of use, the protective screen has to be regularly cleaned in order to ensure constant cooling of the components. Regular maintenance of the screen is necessary to reduce the accumulation of dust, especially on the ventilation device integrated into the central processing unit or the electronic module. Like the screen, all the components of the processing unit or electronic module to have to be regularly cleaned.
To carry out this cleaning, the central processing unit or the electronic module is switched off and disconnected from the mains. The central processing unit of the electronic module has to be dismounted in order to obtain access to all the compartments and unscrew the ventilation device before the cleaning is done. Because of its specific features, the cleaning of the central processing unit or electronic module requires real specialists. The central processing unit or the electronic module is thus switched off for a relatively lengthy maintenance time, thus reducing productivity.
As a consequence, the ventilation techniques presented do not make it possible to reduce the number of maintenance operations on the central processing unit or the electronic module or to reduce the accumulation of solid particles in the central processing unit or the electronic module.